Executive recruitment takes drive, connections and humour

Chris Garvin is a research associate at Waterstone Human Capital. Garvin, a former stand-up comic and bartender, says his former professions help him succeed in his new line of work.

Photograph by: Hugh Wesley
, For Postmedia News

An executive recruiter and a standup comic walk into a bar.

That's pretty much the story of how Chris Garvin landed a job as a research associate with leading executive recruitment firm Waterstone Human Capital. A part-time standup comic and a bartender by trade, Garvin's outgoing personality so impressed Waterstone president David Kinley that he was offered a chance to join the firm.

Having worked in the field for a year now, Garvin feels he has finally found his calling. "I did a lot of things before getting into this," he says. "I studied geography at university, travelled to Taiwan where I taught English for seven years, then got into standup comedy and worked as a bartender."

That diverse background made him the perfect candidate for executive recruiting, he believes. "If you think about it, all my previous work involved connecting with people. At school I had to connect with students, in bartending there's a lot of social interaction, and in comedy you have to connect with an audience. So really, this career makes perfect sense."

As a research associate, Garvin's job is all about people contact. He works closely with client management teams to discuss their needs and learn about their industry and company culture. "Then my next challenge is to find people that fit those. It's a lot of detective work. But that's what makes it so exciting."

Garvin is a great example of the fact that successful executive recruiters are not always cut from the same cloth, says Marty Parker, CEO and founder of Waterstone Human Capital. Waterstone's team of 28 in fact come from a broad spectrum of business backgrounds, from pharmaceutical to media to professional services.

Whatever their background, Parker says, "Where they come from is not as important as the attributes they bring. What we look for first and foremost are people that love and appreciate business, like learning about how their culture and how they work, and have great customer service skills."

They also need to have great judgment, he adds. "That's one of those things you really can't teach anyone. And a sense of humour is a great attribute, because it helps you to break down walls with people and make them feel comfortable through the process."

Executive recruitment work is divided into two main segments: contingency recruitment where the job is to find someone as quickly as possible and fees are paid upon placement. Waterstone does retained recruitment, in which they work on a consultative basis with clients to manage their recruitment processes.

Given the importance placed on industry experience and maturity, executive recruiting is typically a second or third career choice, Parker says. "There are very few twentysomethings in this business. You're working a lot with senior executives, so you have to have the sensibility and experience to deal with them."

In most cases executive recruiters have been in the business a long time and/or come out of organizations where they may have had operations or human resource backgrounds, says Philip C. Wilson, vice president, human resources and business development Eastern & Northern Ontario for Felix Global Corporation, an Ottawa-based strategic business consultancy. "These are people with industry-specific knowledge and tremendous networks."

When Wilson works with executive recruiters, he sees many skill sets coming into play. "It's not just finding candidates. You have to go the whole nine yards and work as an extension of that organization. Your job is to seek out, win and deliver the goods, and then follow up with the client and the person hired by the organization to make sure they are onboarding effectively."

Parker warns that executive recruitment is not a job for the faint of heart. "This is a very labour-intensive business that demands an enormous amount of drive and energy to succeed. Sometimes you have to push through difficult circumstances or find ways to make something from nothing."

Even though Garvin does the occasional standup gig, executive recruitment is where he wants to be. "I really like this job and I love the industry. When I can help companies find candidates that fit with their needs and culture, it gives me a big sense of accomplishment."

Chris Garvin is a research associate at Waterstone Human Capital. Garvin, a former stand-up comic and bartender, says his former professions help him succeed in his new line of work.

Photograph by: Hugh Wesley, For Postmedia News

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